France transfers Mirage warplanes to help Ukraine fight Russia

France delivered its first batch of warplanes to Ukraine as part of European efforts to strengthen Kiev's hand in its war with Russia and show Paris' commitment as the United States mulls its support to Ukraine.

President Emmanuel Macron last June vowed to train Ukrainian pilots to fly Dassault-made Mirage 2000 fighter jets, crossing a new line in military support to Kiev.

"With Ukrainian pilots on board who have been trained for several months in France, they will now participate in defending the skies of Ukraine," Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu wrote on social media platform X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on X that: "The first Mirage 2000 jets from France have arrived, adding to our air defence capabilities".

Officials said that for security reasons Paris would not say how many warplanes had been delivered on Thursday, although the planes had been adapted to enable strikes on the ground.

The plane, which has been replaced by the Rafale fighter jet in the French fleet, was initially conceived for air dogfights.

Ukraine has repeatedly pressed Western allies to supply it with increasingly sophisticated arms and ammunition, including armoured vehicles, tanks, long-range missiles and US-made F-16 fighters.

The first F-16 jets arrived in Ukraine in 2024, although their impact on the war has been limited by the strength of Russia's air force.

"We are also continuing to expand our F-16 fleet," Zelenskyy wrote.

The Mirage 2000 is a multi-role, single-engine jet fighter.

A French parliamentary report at the end of 2024 said that of the 26 Mirage 2000-5 in the French airforce, six would be given to Ukraine.

France will host on February 12 a meeting with Ukraine, its main European allies, Britain and the United States to discuss how to strengthen support to Kiev.